London, UK, December 18, 2008 – The majority of attendees at a recent Financial
Institutions seminar hosted by Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH), the global
insurance broker, believe that financial lines insurance will play a more prominent
role in their companies’ protection in the future.

Of the 40 delegates surveyed by Willis’ Financial and Executive Risks (FINEX)
division at the quarterly event, 66 percent said such coverage would become more
important.

The seminar, held at The Willis Building on Lime Street in London, was attended by
company secretaries, finance directors, risk managers and insurance buyers from 40
financial institutions. The breakfast briefing covered topics such as the likelihood of
increased litigation in the new financial environment, and a review of trends for
Professional Indemnity, Directors and Officers Liability and Crime insurance covers
for financial institutions.

Commenting on the findings of the survey, Duncan Holmes, Executive Director of
FINEX and co-head of the Willis’ Financial Institutions team, said, "It is not surprising
that in the current climate, the delegates are focused on protecting their firms from
the heightened operational risks they face. History has shown that in economic
downturns, both the incidence of fraud and frequency of liability claims against
financial services companies increases. We believe that we will start to see an even
greater demand for financial lines insurance from these institutions, and that the
insurance market in 2009 will have the cover available to meet our clients’ needs."

Other survey findings included:

Only 22 percent of respondents are looking for increased limits of indemnity
as a result of the changing economic environment;

More than half of the companies surveyed are expecting financial lines
premium increases at the next renewal;

Only two companies present would not consider changing their insurers at the
next renewal, while 32 percent said that they may look to change insurers;

One-third of respondents believe that underwriting capacity will be scarcer in
2009;

When asked whether recent litigation was increasing the level of risk for
respondents’ companies, a surprising 73 percent of attendees felt that recent
litigation was not an indicator of future actions.

Willis Group Holdings Limited is a leading global insurance broker, developing and
delivering professional insurance, reinsurance, risk management, financial and
human resource consulting and actuarial services to corporations, public entities and
institutions around the world. Willis has more than 400 offices in nearly 120
countries, with a global team of approximately 20,000 Associates serving clients in
some 190 countries. Additional information on Willis may be found at
www.willis.com.